''On purge bébé'' (''Baby's Laxative'') is Jean Renoir's first

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

, based upon the play by

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parent ...

. It is a 1931 comedy about a supposedly unbreakable chamberpot and a constipated baby. It is known for mocking the French bourgeoisie. Renoir made the film in a record three weeks (from script to finished film) in order to get backing for other projects. His next film was ''

La Chienne ''La Chienne'' ( en, italic=yes, The Bitch) is a 1931 French film by director Jean Renoir. It is the second sound film by the director and the twelfth film of his career. The film is based on the eponymous story "La Chienne" by Georges de La Fo ...

''.

Synopsis

Mr. Follavoine seeks to sell unbreakable chamberpots to the French army. In an attempt to close the deal, he invites Chouilloux, an influential official of the Ministry of hosts, for dinner to discuss putting his chamberpots on the market. But on that same day, Follavoine's son is constipated and Mrs. Follavoine tries to force him to take his laxative, but he flat out refuses to take it. From that point on, nothing goes as planned.

Release

On 14 June 2016, American video-distribution company

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scho ...

released ''On purge bébé'', newly restored through a 4K digital transfer, as a bonus feature for the release of ''

'' on Blu-ray and DVD.

References

# Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell, ''Film History: An Introduction''.
On purge bébé

External links

* 1931 films 1931 comedy films French comedy films 1930s French-language films Films based on works by Georges Feydeau Films directed by Jean Renoir French black-and-white films French films based on plays 1930s French films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub